Anti-Natal Case Study: China's One Child Policy

Why are boys favoured over girls in China?

1. When women get married, the woman goes to live in the house of her husband; When men get married, then the wife comes over to live with him; This means that the parents have the husband and wife to look after them in old age. 2. Generally, boys are seen as more useful than girls on the farms because they are perceived to be stronger.

Give some negative environmental implications of the policy.

A lot more pollution has been produced because urban-rural migration has increased as they have no children to help with the farming. 25% of China's population are now in the middle classes; The consumption of natural resources has greatly increased; For example, the amount of fishing has increased and the level of smog in urban areas has increased dramatically. Although the Chinese do use bicycles as a means of transportation, the use of vehicles has been increasing. In 2014, 59.96 million tonnes of chemical fertilizers were used; This contributes to river and soil pollution. According to China Water Risk, in 2013, only 37.3% of China's overall groundwater quality was considered good or excellent.

What are the negative economic implications?

China has shown signs of an ageing population; The Government put more money on healthcare and pensions with a lower working age population, so product costs increase. By the year of 2050, 30% of the population is expected to be over 65.

Talk about the statistics of China's economy.

China is an NIC (Newly Industrialised Country). In 2014, its GDP (PPP) was $17.62 trillion. In 2014, its GDP per capita (PPP) was $12,900. In 2014, 33.6% of the population worked in Agriculture. 30.3% of the population worked in Industry. 36.1% of the population work in Services. 6.1% of the population live below the poverty line.

Talk about fertility on China.

China's fertility rate is 1.6 children per woman. The replacement rate is 2.1 children per woman. 84.6% of the population use contraception.

What are the positive economic implications?

Due to the fact that women cannot have more than one child, they can concentrate on their careers; China's economy could therefore grow. The number of educated women has increased a lot; Nearly 50% of graduates & undergraduates are female, so they can improve the economy. There is less financial strain for the parents.

Expand on the 4-2-1 problem.

In China, it is a deep-rooted tradition for the children of the family to support their parents and grandparents. However, if there is only one child, this places a lot of pressure on them to earn a lot of money to support their family.

What are the solutions to the One Child Policy?

In October 2015, the Communist Party of China introduced the Two Child Policy to combat the ageing population, which will be in effect from 1st January 2016. This will help solve the gender imbalance; The 4-2-1 problem; The low fertility rate, estimated to be 1.56 children born per woman in 2015. Another solution would be to decrease the living costs in urban areas, which discourage couples from having children; In Shanghai or Beijing, living costs amount to $740 - 830 a month; Compared to major cities in the UK, excluding London, which costs between $330 - 818 a month.

Where is China located?

It is located in mainland China next to Japan.

What criteria is needed for couples to apply to have a second child?

Rural families can have a second child if their first child is a girl; This lets the families have more children to help out in the fields and discourages female infanticide and sex-selective abortion. Ethnic minorities (non-Han Chinese) can have a second child if they wish to do so. In 2010, 91.6% of China's population were Han Chinese. If both parents are only children, then they can have more than one child if they are 4 years+ spaced apart. Couples can have more than 1 child if the 1st child's physical and/or mental disabilities are severe enough. If both parents were in high-risk jobs such as mining.

Elaborate on the positive social implications.

Since the policy was introduced, the population has decreased by 400 million; This has decreased the pressure on resources. Parents have more time to concentrate on one child. There is less hassle with one child. One child takes up less of the parents' time. The child is more likely to have a successful life. The child is more likely to have a better quality of life.

Discuss the negative political implications of the policy.

The Chinese government have received lots of criticism from the media, which has damaged China's reputation. The government started to focus a lot of their budget on adults and the elderly; There are less resources available for young children, which could be a problem if China abandons the policy. According to a BBC article, children born from the policy tend to be less trusting and pessimistic; This could make it harder for the government to persuade the public to vote for them and impose taxes and new laws on them.

Discuss the demographics of China.

The birth rate was 12.49/1000 population. The death rate was 7.53/1000 population. The population growth rate was 0.45. The dependency ratio was 36.6%. The urban population was 55.6%. The life expectancy for males is 73.38 for males and 77.73 for females.

Give some positive environmental implications of the policy.

The policy has reduced the number of people in China, so there are less people to use natural resources; Thus, the damage done to the environment is reversible. The policy has managed to keep the consumption of natural resources more stable. Since 2005, 122 million hectares of land is arable, which means that more crops can be grown; These crops can help balance out the net carbon emissions from the urban areas.

Talk about the age structure of China.

The population in 2015 was 1.4 billion. 17.08% of the population were aged 0 - 14 years old. 13.82% of the population were aged 15 - 24 years old. 47.95% of the population were aged 25 - 54 years old. 11.14% of the population were aged 55 - 64 years old. 10.01% of the population were aged 65+ years old.

Elaborate on the negative social implications.

The suicide rates for men have risen as parents' expectations rise; In 2011, the death rate of male suicide was 9.8/1000 population. Rural areas are reluctant to take on the policy because of a need for security in old age; The abandonment of the co-operative farming system; And the perception that girls are no good. The ratio of males to females is 117 to 100. China could've devastated future because the number of fertile women has decreased, so there are fewer births. Young men have chosen to remain single; An increase in prostitution could result in the status of women degrade further in a patriarchal society. There is a 4-2-1 problem. There has been an increase in unregistered births. There have been mass sterilisations in rural areas because they have less access to contraception. Brides have been bought from Vietnam and Cambodia. Little boys have developed Little Emperor Syndrome, which is when they act spoilt. There is a high divorce rate for women who have a girl; The law was changed to stop men divorcing, but they would assault wives and divorce that way.